Platform cleat

ABSTRACT

A golf shoe cleat adapted to be mounted on an outer edge of the sole of either a right or left golf shoe has mounting means, preferably a 3-extension quick release system, a pillar connected to the mounting means and a soft cleat connected to the pillar, the pillar being of a length to elevate the outer edge of the sole with respect to the inner edge of the sole.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The desirability of elevating an outer edge of a golf shoe with respect to the inner edge has been recognized for at least fifty (50) years, see U.S. Pat. No. 2,847,769 to Schlesinger, filed Mar. 8, 1956. Numerous golf shoe patents have issued, but for the most part, they are intended to be worn on the golf course through however many holes the golfer is playing, see U.S. Pat. No. 6,845,575. There have been some replaceable training devices, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,218,734, 4,073,075, 4,081,918, 4,118,034 and 4,145,055, but these have required either special shoes or simulate placing a ball under the outside edge of the rear foot.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with this invention, generally stated, a golf cleat is provided particularly adapted to replace temporarily conventional cleats or spikes along the outer edges of either right or left handed shoes. The cleat of this invention has a conventional mounting means, preferably of the type sold as Q-LOK, a registered trademark of Cleats, LLC, or TRI-LOK, a registered trademark of Cleats, LLC, (both being 3-extension quick release devices), although small thread or large thread fastening systems can be used, a pillar, substantially longer than the reach of the conventional cleat, and a soft cleat or spike connected to the pillar. In use, the cleats of this invention are mounted in lieu of the conventional cleats along the outer edges of the right shoe for a right-hand golfer or a left shoe for a left-hand golfer. When a practice or training session is finished, the cleats are removed using a standard two-pin wrench, and the conventional cleats are inserted or mounted, a matter of minutes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings which form part of the specification:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of the cleat end and pillar of one embodiment of platform cleat of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a view in perspective of one type of mounting device, platform and cleat;

FIG. 3 is a view in perspective from the cleat end of the platform cleat with a shorter pillar than the cleat shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view in perspective of a shoe in which platform cleats shown in FIGS. 1-3 are mounted; and

FIG. 5 is an end view of the shoe of FIG. 4

Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The following detailed description illustrates the invention by way of example and not by way of limitation.

As various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Referring now to the drawings for one illustrative embodiment of this invention, reference I indicates a complete platform cleat. The platform cleat consists essentially of a soft spike or cleat 3, a pillar 5, and a 3-extension quick release mount 7. Referring to FIG. 3, a platform cleat 10 is shown, which differs from the platform cleat shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 only in having a shorter platform 9.

The platform cleats 1 are mounted conventionally, in sockets designed to accommodate the 3-extension quick release mounts 7, along an outer edge of a shoe, as illustrated in FIG. 4 where they are mounted along the outer edge of a right shoe 13. In this particular embodiment, a platform cleat 10 is mounted at the toe. Conventional soft cleat cleats 15 are mounted along the inside edge of the shoe 13, leading to a slant of the shoe 13 as illustrated in FIG. 5.

The platform cleats 1 and 10 are intended for use in training or practice, not for traversing the entire golf course. As has been indicated, they can easily and quickly be mounted and dismounted, using a conventional 2-pin cleat wrench taking into cleat wrench holes 16, and conventional soft cleats 15 either removed or replaced quickly with the same wrench.

Numerous variations in the construction of the platform cleats of this invention will occur to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description and accompanying drawing. Merely by way of example, the pillar can be tapered, or otherwise ornamentally configured. As has been indicated, the mounting means can be small thread or large thread as well as 3-extension quick release. The soft cleat can be differently configured (see for example, U.S. Des 509,050 and patents there cited). The soft cleat, pillar and mounting means can be made as separate pieces held together by a bolt, threaded into a tapped hole in the mounting device or extending through a hole in the center of the soft cleat and taking into a nut, to permit replacement of pillars with different heights, or the replacement of the soft cleat if it becomes worn. The pillar can be made integral with one or the other of the soft cleat or mounting means. If it is made integral with the soft cleat, different mounting means can be employed using the same cleat and pillar. The pillar can be made of any suitable material. If plastic, they can be molded with the soft cleat or mounting means or both. If made of metal, wood or bone, for example, the mounting means or cleat can be secured with epoxy or the like. These variations are merely illustrative. 

1. A golf shoe cleat adapted to be mounted on an outer edge of the sole of either a right or left golf shoe comprising mounting means, a pillar connected to said mounting means, and a soft cleat connected to said pillar, said pillar being of a length to elevate the outer edge of the sole with respect to the inner edge of said sole.
 2. The golf shoe cleat of claim 1 wherein the mounting means is a 3-extension quick release system.
 3. The golf shoe cleat of claim 2 wherein said pillar is integral with said mounting means.
 4. The golf shoe cleat of claim 2 wherein said pillar is integral with said soft cleat.
 5. The golf shoe cleat of claim 2 wherein said pillar is integral with both said mounting means and the said cleat. 